1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine. Particularly, the present invention relates to a gaming machine equipped with mechanical reels.
2. Related Art
A slot machine having stop buttons, for example, a so-called pachislot machine, which is a slot machine having stop buttons, has a variable display device constituted by arranging a plurality of mechanical reels showing a plurality of symbols in a front display window or an electric variable display device displaying symbols on reels in a screen. A control device causes each reel to rotate by driving these variable display devices according to a start operation of a player to provide a display that is variable and, after a certain time, causes rotation of each reel to sequentially stop automatically or according to a stop operation of the player. If the symbol of each reel that appears in the display window matches a symbol combination, an award is provided to the player by paying out game media such as coins and medals.
Currently dominant models have a plurality of types of winning modes. Particularly when a predetermined symbol combination occurs a combination is carried out wherein not only are coins paid out once, but also gaming mode better than base gaming mode are set for a predetermined period. Such combinations include one wherein the game can be played a predetermined number of times providing a relatively great award to the player (called “big bonus,” abbreviated henceforth as “BB”) and a combination wherein the game can be played a predetermined number of times providing a relatively small award to the player (called “regular bonus,” abbreviated henceforth as “RB”).
In currently dominant models, to realize winning in which a predetermined combination of symbols lines up along an active payline and have coins or medals paid out, a combination must be won (hereinafter referred to as “internal winning”) through internal lottery process, and also the player is required to perform a stop operation in a timely fashion so as to stop reels in such a way as to display the internally won combination (hereinafter referred to as “internal symbol combination”) on the active line. That is, even if an internally symbol combination occurs, if the player performs a stop operation with incorrect timing, the player cannot win the award. In other words, skills acquired by practicing the timing of a stop operation are required (a Technical intervention called “observation push” is heavily weighted) in mainstream gaming machines.
In such gaming machines, it is known that game representation is improved by having an image generated from image data displayed in a display screen using a liquid crystal display or the like in the front display window (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this gaming machine, visual representation effects are improved to increase the interest of the player by using a liquid crystal display or the like and displaying images such as predetermined characters.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-255019
While the gaming machine has improved visual representation by using a liquid crystal display or the like and controlling image data and the like by digital signals, the visual representation of such gaming machines is lacking in surprises because the representation of image data using a liquid crystal display or the like has been very common in recent years.
Also, regarding the reels in a gaming machine, the symbols presented on the reels show no special originality and merely line up regularly giving a similar impression for almost every gaming machine, reducing the player's fun.
The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above situation and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine that can provide more surprises and greater fun and increase the interest in game playing while distinguishing itself from other models by adding a wide variety of representation by moving device to specific symbols presented on the reels.